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Jasprit Bumrah 3 wickets away from massive record in T20Is, eyes to dismantle Afghanistan top-order
T20 Worldl Cup: Bumrah will have added motivation to go for the kill against Afghanistan. He is only three wickets away from overtaking Yuzvendra Chahal as India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is.
When Jasprit Bumrah induced a false shot from Martin Guptill on Sunday in Dubai to get his wicket, he became the first Indian bowler to grab a T20 World Cup wicket since Virat Kohli in 2016. The current Indian captain had dismissed West Indies opener Johnson Charles in the semi-final that India lost. India failed to pick a single wicket in their T20 World Cup 2021 opener against Pakistan and therefore Bumrah's wicket of Guptill was India's first in a T20 World Cup in 5 years.
Bumrah would go on to pick another wicket - Daryl Mitchell - against New Zealand to end with figures of 2/19 but India ended up losing the match by 8 wickets. No other Indian bowler has managed to pick up a wicket in this World Cup so far. And pressure will once again be on Bumrah to lead India's bowling attack against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, which will be a do-or-die contest for India on Wednesday.
Bumrah will have added motivation to go for the kill. He is only three wickets away from overtaking Yuzvendra Chahal as India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is.
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Bumrah currently has 61 wickets to his name in 51 matches at an average of 20.26 and an economy rate of 6.64. Chahal, whose exclusion from India's World Cup squad has caused a lot of debate, on the other hand, has 63 wickets in 49 matches at an average of 25.30 and an economy rate of 8.32.
The last two matches on Tuesday that took place in Abu Dhabi, offered plenty of assistance to the seamers early on. If things stay similar then Bumrah would be licking his lips against an Afghanistan top-order that is heavily depended on opener Hazratullah Zazai.
Having faced the wrath of the fans as well for below-par performances so far, it will also be about pride for Kohli's men as they play under his leadership in the T20 format for the last time in this tournament.
But it won't be easy as Afghanistan have looked good and Team India face an uphill task to reach the semifinal stages. They need to first win their remaining matches and then they would be hoping for some results to go in their favour. A win against Afghanistan, Namibia, and Scotland will not be enough, Team India needs to register comprehensive wins as the net run rate might come into play as well.
